An analyzer for analyzing a sample containing particles is conventionally known. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006-004530 discloses a specimen analyzer for electrically or optically detecting each particle such as red blood cell and white blood cell in a blood sample, and creating a one-dimensional frequency distribution map (histogram) or a two-dimensional scattergram using characteristic parameter information representing characteristics of each particle.
The specimen analyzer disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006-004530 includes a display, where an analysis result display screen for displaying the analysis result of the blood sample is displayed on the display, as shown in FIG. 9 of the document. The number of particles, such as red blood cells contained in the measured blood sample, and the particle distribution map (histogram or scattergram) created in the above manner are shown on the analysis result display screen. When such analysis result display screen is displayed, the user can know about the number of particles such as the red blood cells contained in the measured blood sample, and can visually recognize the distribution state of the particles in the particle distribution map.
However, it is not easy for the user to look at the distribution state of the particles in the particle distribution map and evaluate whether such distribution state is abnormal or normal. Therefore, a reference particle distribution map which becomes an index for making an evaluation on the distribution state is desired to be displayed on the display.
In order to respond to such demand, a particle distribution map representing the distribution state of particles contained in the blood sample taken from a healthy subject may be displayed as the reference particle distribution map next to the particle distribution map of the measured sample. However, since the display area in the analysis result display screen as shown in FIG. 9 of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006-004530 is limited, the display area for displaying information other than the particle distribution map becomes small if such method is used. If the display of each particle distribution map arranged side by side is reduced to ensure the display area for displaying information other than the particle distribution map, the distribution state of the particles in the particle distribution map becomes difficult to visually recognize.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,786 discloses a blood analyzer for storing region patterns in which a region where specific particles such as “lymph cells” and “monocytes” appear is surrounded by a region line for the normal blood sample in advance in a memory in correspondence to the coordinate system of the distribution map, and displaying the same on the display with the distribution map of the measured blood sample in order to facilitate the user evaluating whether the measured blood sample is normal or abnormal. According to such display, the user can visually recognize whether or not the lymph cells or the monocytes in the measured blood sample appear within the region pattern in the normal blood sample.
In recent years, analysis of blood samples of animals other than human being is being carried out in veterinary hospitals, livestock experimental station, and the like. In the case of human being, blood test is widely carried out as one item of health examination and great amount of normal blood cell distribution maps and abnormal blood cell distribution maps are stored as analysis data of the blood sample, whereas in the case of animals, the analysis data of the blood sample may not be stored or analyzed depending on the species. The evaluation of one analysis data may differ depending on the species of animals.
Therefore, when analyzing blood samples of animals other than human being, it is difficult to create in advance the region patterns for the normal blood sample, and displaying the region pattern along with the distribution map of the measured blood sample as in the analyzer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,786.
However, in the case of analyzing the blood sample of animals other than human being, it is desired that the user can easily make an evaluation on whether the blood sample is normal or abnormal by looking at the distribution map of the measured blood sample.